Roof-ladder fire-escape



F. L. CHAPPELL.

ROOF LADDER FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 24. 1920.

1,389,096. I I Patented Aug. 30,1921.

E I 3 1E 72 I... W I

i -i GI l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

' FRANK 'L CHAPPELL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIOQ ROOF-LADDER, FIRE-ESCAPE.

1,389,096. j W v Application filed June 24,

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, FRANK L. CHAPPELL, a subject of Great Britain, resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Roof-Ladder Fire-Escapes, of

which the following is a specification, the

.provide a ladder of this character which shall be simple, economical in manufacture, and very eiiicient in service. I am aware that ladders of this character have been heretofore made and patented involvingthe use of a plurality of U-shaped units provided with inter-engaging hooks and loops, but am not aware that a ladder has been known previous to my invention thereof provided with the form and character of inter-engaging means shown in the accompanying drawing and hereinafter described and claimed. Various other improved details of my ladder will hereinafter appear.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail'certain means embodying my invention, the disclosed means, however, constituting but one of the various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention maybe applied. In said annexed drawing: 7 Figure 1 represents a front elevation of i my improved ladder mounted upon a building, a fragmentary elevation of which appears; j

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of said ladder and building;

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged front elevation of a section of the ladder;

,4 represents an enlarged side elevation of said section; A

Fig. 5 represents an enlarged elevation of means used for spacing the ladder from the building, and r Fig. 6 represents a side elevation of a turnbuckle forming part of my invention, and some associated elements.

Referring to the annexed drawing, 1n which the several parts are indicated by the same ordinals in the several views, 1 designates a U-shaped integral unit, a plurality Specification of Letters Iatent. Patented Aug, 30 1921 1 9 20. Serial No. 391,435.

of which form my improved ladder. These units are interconnected by means of loops 3 and eyes 4, the eyes of the up or unit being opened, as plainly shown in ig. 4, to form hooks 2 which are adapted to fasten over the saddle boards or ridge boards 12 of the building 11. As plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the ladder extends down over the roof 13 and adjacent the side 14 of said building to a point near the ground. Adjacent the ground, a U-shaped spacing element 6 is utilized, the eyes 7 of which are interseoted by the lowermost pair of loops 8 and the base 6 of which is adapted to bear against the side 14 of the building 11. In order that the ladder may be held taut and the spacer 6 held in a horizontal plane, a pair of turnbuckles 8 arefastened at one' end to the lowermost loops 3 and at the other end to the building 11 adjacent the base thereof.

Referring particularly to the detailed construction of each of the units 1, it will be noted that they are formed of a pair of members 9, each of said members being formed with outwardly turned eyes 4 at their upper ends and inclined downwardly and outwardly from its top to the bottom thereof, and at their lowermost ends are extended rearwardly and inclined upwardly and outwardly below a transverse section forming'a rung. The members 9 and rung 5 are so connected with a loop 10 which projects rearwardly and laterally from the bottom of each member 9, as to form a materially lengthened rung near the bottom of each member 9, and since the rung runs-for wardly of and extends laterally beyond said depending members ,9 the tread surface of each rung is considerably increased by this preciseconstruction which is especially desirable in this type of ladders. I have found that the units before described are very efficient when made in about 40-inch lengths of 3-inch soft steel cylindrical stock, each of the depending members 9 and the rung 5 being substantially 12 inches in length, the steps 5 being very conveniently spaced, as

. well as providing ample strength for the clined downwardly and outwardly from its top to the bottom thereof, each of said side portions extending rearwardly from its bottom and then inclined outwardly, upwardly and forwardly of the respective side portion to form a loop of materially greater diameter than that of said eyes, the loops of each member being connected by a horizontally disposed portion to provide a rung,

the loops of each member passing through the outwardly turned eyes of the member adjacently below, and a U-shaped topmost member having its ends formed with hooks for engagement with the ridge boards of a building.

Signed by me this 19th day of J une, 1920.

FRANK L. CHAPPELL. 

